NF Visitor Use Monitoring
Program
To Know & Better Serve
our NF visitors
How Does NVUM Work?
• 20% of forests sampled
each year
• Forests identify all road,
trail exits & recreation
sites
• Assigned stratified
random sample
• Obtain 24 hour traffic
count
• Conduct 6 hrs onsite
interviews
HOW DOES NVUM WORK?
PREWORK STRATIFICATION
 Site type
• Overnight Use Developed Sites (OUDs)
• Day Use Developed Sites (DUDs)
• General Forest Areas (GFAs)
• Wilderness
• View Corridor
 Site Day
• Very High, High, Medium, Low
 Proxy or non-proxy
HOW DOES NVUM WORK?
ON-SITE INTERVIEWS
 Basic (50%)
 Satisfaction (25%)
 Economic (25%)
 Spanish (as needed)
Why We Did It
In response to
Agency need for
Improved
understanding
of visitor use &
satisfaction
Reliable, science
based visitor data
NVUM Survey Cycles
Sampling Cycle #1
10/2000 – 9/2003
Sampling Cycle 2
10/2004 – 9/2008
Succeeding survey cycles –
Every 5 years
Sampling Calendar
SITETYPE
SITENAM E
DUDS
FOXTAIL GROUP PICNIC - WINTER
Site Num
STRATUS
M ONTH
DAY
YEAR
255089.00
FR3
1
2
2005
DUDS
DUDS
DUDS
DEER CREEK PICNIC
16.00
HIGH
1
9
2005
PM
KYLE VISITOR CENTER
14.00
HIGH
1
9
2005
PM
LAS VEGAS SKI AND SNOWBOARD RESORT
22.00
SV1
1
10
2005
VIEW
HWY 158 DEER CREEK
256.00
LOW
1
20
2005
DUDS
FOXTAIL GROUP PICNIC - WINTER
255089.00
FR3
1
23
2005
DUDS
DUDS
DUDS
DESERT VIEW DAY USE SITE
15.00
MEDIUM
1
28
2005
PM
DEER CREEK PICNIC
16.00
HIGH
1
29
2005
AM
KYLE VISITOR CENTER
14.00
HIGH
1
29
2005
AM
DUDS
FOXTAIL GROUP PICNIC - WINTER
GFA
5-52 POTOSI @ SR160
GFA
5-57 CATHEDRAL ROCK TRAIL @ stairw a
DUDS
DESERT VIEW DAY USE SITE
DUDS
FOXTAIL GROUP PICNIC - WINTER
DUDS
DUDS
GFA
5-16 CHAMPION ROAD
DUDS
KYLE VISITOR CENTER
DUDS
LAS VEGAS SKI AND SNOWBOARD RESORT
GFA
5-42 WILLOW CREEK 601/565
GFA
5-15 ARCHERY CAMP
GFA
5-57 CATHEDRAL ROCK TRAIL @ stairw a
GFA
5-7 TROUT/LOVELL SUMMIT
DUDS
DESERT VIEW DAY USE SITE
GFA
FOXT
FOXT
FOXT
255089.00
SURVTIM E NOTE1
PM
FR3
2
5
2005
1001.00
HIGH
2
6
2005
PM
255109.00
MEDIUM
2
6
2005
AM
15.00
MEDIUM
2
13
2005
PM
FOXT
255089.00
FR3
2
13
2005
FOXTAIL GROUP PICNIC - WINTER
FOXT
255089.00
FR3
2
20
2005
FOXTAIL GROUP PICNIC - WINTER
FOXT
255089.00
FR3
2
21
2005
1011.00
MEDIUM
2
25
2005
PM
14.00
HIGH
2
26
2005
PM
22.00
SV1
3
1
2005
255092.00
MEDIUM
3
1
2005
PM
1010.00
MEDIUM
3
4
2005
AM
255109.00
MEDIUM
3
5
2005
1002.00
MEDIUM
3
8
2005
PM
15.00
LOW
3
10
2005
AM
5-11 CRYSTAL SPRING
1006.00
LOW
3
14
2005
AM
DUDS
KYLE VISITOR CENTER
14.00
LOW
3
15
2005
PM
GFA
5-47 SKI TOW/MARY JANE
1008.00
MEDIUM
3
18
2005
DUDS
KYLE VISITOR CENTER
14.00
LOW
3
24
2005
PM
GFA
5-50 LUCKY STRIKE 578
255100.00
LOW
3
25
2005
AM
GFA
5-1 MACKS CANYON
996.00
HIGH
3
27
2005
PM
GFA
5-23 HORSE SHUTEM SPRING
1019.00
MEDIUM
3
27
2005
PM
DUDS
DEER CREEK PICNIC
PM
GFA
5-4 LOVELL CYN
DUDS
DEER CREEK PICNIC
VIEW
HWY 158 DEER CREEK
GFA
5-54 CARPENTER/WALLACE CONNECTOR
GFA
5-18 MCFARLAND
WILDERNESS5W6 FLETCHER CANYON
16.00
LOW
3
29
2005
999.00
MEDIUM
3
29
2005
PM
PM
STANDARD PROTOCOL -- SAMPLING AND TRAFFIC COUNT
PM
16.00
MEDIUM
4
2
2005
PM
256.00
LOW
4
2
2005
AM
255105.00
MEDIUM
4
9
2005
PM
1013.00
MEDIUM
4
10
2005
PM
209.00
LOW
4
10
2005
AM
DUDS
DEER CREEK PICNIC
16.00
LOW
4
12
2005
PM
DUDS
KYLE VISITOR CENTER
14.00
LOW
4
14
2005
PM
GFA
5-12 COLD CREEK PONDS
1007.00
HIGH
4
16
2005
AM
DUDS
CATHEDRAL ROCK PICNIC
GFA
5-56 ROBBERS ROOST TRAIL
DUDS
CATHEDRAL ROCK PICNIC
GFA
5-40 STIRLING 552
GFA
5-2 TELEPHONE CANYON
GFA
5-5 COTTONWOOD
GFA
5-7 TROUT/LOVELL SUMMIT
WILDERNESS5W5 TRAIL CANYON
STANDARD PROTOCOL -- SAMPLING AND TRAFFIC COUNT
23.00
DUR4
4
17
2005
255107.00
MEDIUM
4
17
2005
23.00
DUR4
4
23
2005
1005.00
MEDIUM
4
23
2005
AM
997.00
MEDIUM
4
24
2005
AM
1000.00
MEDIUM
4
24
2005
PM
1002.00
MEDIUM
4
28
2005
AM
PM
208.00
LOW
4
29
2005
PM
GFA
5-7 TROUT/LOVELL SUMMIT
1002.00
HIGH
4
30
2005
PM
GFA
5-7 TROUT/LOVELL SUMMIT
1002.00
HIGH
5
1
2005
PM
GFA
5-47 SKI TOW/MARY JANE
1008.00
LOW
5
4
2005
GFA
5-52 POTOSI @ SR160
1001.00
MEDIUM
5
4
2005
AM
DUDS
DESERT VIEW DAY USE SITE
15.00
HIGH
5
7
2005
PM
SET UP TRAFFIC COUNTER ONLY -- 8AM START
Who Benefits?
• USFS leaders &
program managers
• Congress, & external
customers
• The public
• The resource
Applications
NVUM Applications
IN PLANNING &
MANAGEMENT
• Setting Customer Service Standards
Required by Exec Order 12862
• National Recreation Agenda
Implementation
• Strategic & Annual Performance
Plans
Better service to the public while protecting
valuable resources
Forest Planning & Monitoring
Setting realistic targets & meeting them
In Land Management Decisions
Demand and Supply Analysis
What do visitors do while on your forest?
Where do they do it?
Who are they?
Applications
In Land Management Decisions –
Effects of Forest TOURISM on local
communities
• Employment
• Income
Based on:
Expenditure data
Applications
In Land Management Decisions –
Best placement of
LIMITED RESOURCES
• Niche ID
Based on current
visitor satisfaction
Applications
In Land Management Decisions
RECREATION NICHE ID
Based on Visitor Characteristics
• Age
• Race
• Activity participation
• Outdoor recreation
expenditure profiles
• Length of stay
• Satisfaction
Applications
Important Definitions
National Forest Visit
Entry of one person upon a NF to
participate in recreation activities.
Must be contiguous.
Site Visit
Entry of one person onto a NF site or
area to participate in recreation
activities.
More definitions:
Recreation trip
Duration of time beginning when visitor
left home and ending when they get
back to their home.
Confidence level and error rate
Used together to define the reliability of
the estimated visits.
Workshop
Uinta National Forest
What is a
RS-FMP:
Niche
The specific recreation
focus of a forest
incorporating (demand)
public expectations
with unique social
and ecological
features of the
land (supply).
Niche Design
DEMAND
Using NVUM (forest use data),
US Census (population trends) and
NSRE (Market Zone resident rec
activities) to develop visitor use.
SUPPLY
Using Infra Site Inventory, ROS,
SMS and SOP to develop Forest
assets and amenities.
Demand
It’s important to know what
our visitors demand because:
It provides context
to help us make
decisions.
It calibrates our
thinking about
what is occurring
on the forest.
Current Use
Estimated use
Visitor Origin &
Market Zone
Visitor Characteristics
Visitor Activity
Satisfaction and
Importance
Visitor Characteristics
(from NVUM and Census)
Market Zone Characteristics
Market Zone
State Average
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Language other than English spoken at
home, pct Households
Percentage of Persons with a disability,
age 5+, 2000
Persons below poverty, percent, 1999
Market Zone
12.92%
19.18%
12.18%
State Average
15.80%
18.18%
10.62%
Summary of Visitor
Characteristics
Most visitors are from the local
surrounding counties.
There are significantly more
young people recreating on this
Forest than most other Forests,
but visitors represent the age
distribution of the market zone.
Predominately day-use with
some weekend overnight stays.
Segment Shares by Forest
NLDay
Angeles
NL- ON
FS
NL-ONOther
LDay
LON FS
LONOther
9
0
1
81
5
4
21
13
12
40
6
1
Inyo
2
10
62
16
0
1
Modoc
4
5
8
50
5
19
Sequoia
5
17
18
38
8
2
Eldorado
Day/Overnight Use of Forest
(from NVUM)
Segmentation of Visitors- Local/Non-local and Day/Overnight
All Forests
Uinta
80%
70%
67%
60%
50%
46%
40%
30%
19%
20%
10%
9%
10%
8%
7%
6%
5%
7%
2%
2%
0%
NL-Day
Local-Day
NL-Overnight-NF
Local-Overnight-NF
NL-Overnight
Local-Overnight
Estimated Annual Use
(from NVUM)
R4 Forest Visits
(In Thousands)
6,000
4,947
Number of Visits
5,000
4,000
3,370
2,879
3,000
2,548 2,474
2,000
1,552
1,359
882
913
1,000
774
616
467
457
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NEW!!! NRIS-NVUM
• A database containing ALL Round 1
information
• Access database
• Easy to use – queries by forest, region, or
nationally, or combinations
• Some examples follow
NRIS –HD: R4 Visitor Zip Codes
NRIS-HD: Tonto Stratification
NVUM HD- Tonto Interviews
NRIS –HD Tonto Visitation
NRIS –HD: LTBMU Duration
NRIS – HD: LTBMU Activities
NRIS – HD: Region 4 Visitation